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| SHAD REPORT FOR 4-11-07 Hickory shad fishing was off to a great start this year until the weather changed. Once the rowboats at Fletcher's Cove went out for the first time on March 31, there had already been nearly a week of action from shore in the high, still cloudy water. The boats brought fly fishermen and plenty of catches, including very large roes. Tim Shaw, our NCC-TU speaker on Wednesday night, April 10, 2007, spent most of Tuesday hauling them in with Scott Faley. Duncan McGrath reported "as many hickories as you want" above Chain Bridge on Wednesday. Frank Smith was one of several anglers taking small male American shad mixed in with the hickories. Meredith Lindsey, a Fletcher's assistant manager, caught a three-pound roe American with her guide, the tireless Mike Bailey.  The return of winter weather kept most anglers off the water on Easter weekend, but the hickory shad didn't get the message--they kept hitting. A man in a canoe caught forty on Saturday, and two fly fishermen (in waders!) stayed out in a Fletcher's rowboat for six hours catching fish and probably freezing. Theirs was the last boat rented Saturday due to high winds. Sunday was slower but a local angler observed hickories being taken by a boat anchored at the high end of Flecher's Cove near the popular shore spot. By then the water temperature had dropped to fifty degrees and the wind persisted. It looks like the water temperature has bottomed out and the shad season will resume in force with warmer weather. Either that or it will end prematurely. We'll try to keep you updated twice a week until the middle of May. For information on the Boathouse at Fletcher's Cove contact them at 202-244-0461. Dan Ward writes a nice fishing report on their website once a week at fletcherscove.com. Mark Binsted National Capital Chapter Trout Unlimited ncc-tu.org contact@ncc-tu.org |
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